Friends and Family
by JA Baker
Summary: Part three of the Friends series: Generntex kidnaps Mary and Travis, forcing Harper, Tyr, Mark and Orion to go AWOL to get them back…
1. Welcome home

_Ok, this is my long overdue sequel to 'Old Friends' and 'Friends old and new'. It's set right at the start of season three, just after the new Commonwealth is officially crated._

_Still waiting to hear back from szhismine about beta reading, so until then you'll have to put up with my less-than perfect spelling and grammar._

**Friends and Family  
****Part one: Welcome home**

"_The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."  
__Human proverb_

With a bright flash of light, the _Andromeda Ascendant_ exited slipstream a few light-minuet out from Mobius. Her hull was still scared and battered from her fight with the mysterious attacks that had sort to disrupt the final signing of the Commonwealth charter.

Silent communications flashed between the Heavy Cruiser and the other High Guard ships in orbit, confirming her identification and informing them of resent events. In a matter of seconds half the fleet was busy coming up with strategies to combat the new threat while the other half went over the information on the inter-dimensional vortex, studding it in minute detail.

A warship with time on its hand was a useful research tool.

"It is good to be back!" Harper sounded happier than normal, especially given the amount of work lined up for him as ships engineer, "Rommie, can you please scan for the…"

"The _Shoulder of Orion_ is in standard orbit, as anticipated." The android smiled, "He's already sent me a message that you are to, and I quote, 'get your scrawny little mud-foot butt planet side, ASAP'. I believe it is from Mary."

"I am so there!" Harper span round, only to find his way blocked.

"You have a rather long list of repairs to see too Mr Harper." Dylan looked down at the young engineer, "It'll be a while before you get shore leave."

"What!" Harper protested, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry." Dylan shook his head, then couldn't stop himself from laughing, "You've got 24-hours: Go."

Harper was gone in an instant, knowing it would take him two hours to get planet side.

* * *

Harper could see the flashing red and blue lights before he reached the apartment block, but thought nothing of it as made his way up the stairs leading to the top level. His anticipation was growing with every step, but he forced himself to remain calm and steady, refusing to run. 

"Hey, you!" A tall man in a Lancer uniform stood on the last landing, "What you doing here?"

"I've come to see my fiancé." Harper smiled like an idiot, "Apartment 18, Commander Mary McCoy."

"18?" The Lancer looked at him, then pulled the microphone attached to his helmet closer to his mouth, "Sir, we may have a satiation on the landing."

"_Hold position: I'm on my way_." A voice crackled back.

"What the hell's going on?" Harper asked, starting to get worried.

"Just wait there." The Lancer's hand moved to his forcelance, and Harper stopped moving, terrified.

"Shamus!" Harper looked round to see Mark McCoy, captain of the _Shoulder of Orion_, come running down the hallway, a pain expression on his face, "I've been trying to get hold of you."

"What's going on?" Harper asked, wide eyed.

"We don't quite know what happened. It looks like someone…" Mark stopped, "You'd better come see for yourself." He silently led the way passed several Lancers and local security officers and through a holographic partition.

The apartment beyond looked like a hurricane had hit it: books, furniture and personal positions were scattered everywhere, and several men with holo-cameras were taking pictures, apparently for evidence.

"We think it was a burglary that went bad." Mark looked badly shaken, "The local security office think Mary must have come home and disturbed them, and they took her and Travis hostage…"

"WHAT?" Harper almost collapsed, falling against a wall, "How did this happen?"

"We don't know, but I pulled every string I could to get the top CSI team in, even had Orion scan for their nanobot signal from orbit. But there's no sign…"

"What do you mean?"

"The best we can hope for is that they are somewhere that's blocking the signal."

"And at worst?"

"The nanobot's stop transmitting after…" Mark stopped, his unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.

* * *

Harper sat staring at the same point on the opposite wall for longer than he could remember. Mark had thrown himself into his work, trying to burry his emotions in paperwork. The local security forces had been placed on high alert, and no ship was being aloud to leave orbit unchallenged by a High Guard warship: the Argosy was rallying around its own. 

"Harper." Trance appeared at a nearby doorway, "The others are helping with the search, so I thought I'd better come and check on you…"

"Trance, if you know anything, and I mean ANYTHING, about this, you'd better tell me." Harper did move, his gaze still fixed, "Because, so help me god, if I ever find your holding out on me over this I will kill you, no matter how many times you come back to life."

"The future is, clouded: we stand at a crossroads, and the outcome is dependent on our actions…"

"Don't give me any of that crap." Harpers head slowly turned to the side, his eyes as cold as ice, "Do. You. Know. Anything?"

"No." Trance let out a deep breath, "You have to believe me when I say that I would tell you if I did."

"Well you don't." Harper went back to watching the wall.

* * *

The small cubical that passed for visiting officer quarters at the main High Guard barracks reminded Harper of a cell he'd once spent time in, but he wasn't in the mood to take in his surroundings. 

He sat on the bed, knees tucked up to his chest and his head held low: for the first time in his life, he had found something to hold on, something to work towards, and it had been ripped away from him, just like everything else.

The com-unit on the wall bleeped with an incoming call.

Harper ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone, and the message recording system clicked on.

"Hello again, Mr Harper." A familiar voice filled the room, "I believe I have something you're looking for…"

Harper slowly looked up at the screen.

"Generntex..."

**To Be Continued…**


	2. What price love?

**Friends and Family  
****Part two: What price love?**

_"If hope is the engine of the soul, then duty is the navigator and love is the fuel."  
__--Sani Nax Rifati, High Guard Supreme Commander  
__Persuasions and Exhortations  
__CY 4279_

"The one and only." The Nightsider smiled, "It has been a very long time.

"Not long enough." Harper sat up, "Where are they Generntex?"

"They are somewhere safe, for now. And don't try tracing the call: I've routed it through every exchange on this planet, so by the time you do track it, I'll be long gone."

"What do you want?"

"I want what I've always wanted: wealth, power and prestige. But for now I'll take a Nova-bomb."

"I don't have one."

"Come now Mr Harper: I know that you've been building them for that High Guard fossil Hunt. You bring one to me within the next 72 hours; your fiancé and child will be returned to you, unharmed. If you fail, or tell anyone, then they will be handed over to the Drago-Kazov, who I believe have an interest in Kodiak DNA…"

"You hurt even one hair on their heads…"

"Well, Miss McCoy was knocked out during the raid on her apartment, but she did take down two of the mercenaries I sent in after her, so she shouldn't be ashamed. Take the Nova Bomb to Winnipeg Drift and await further instructions." The Nightsider cut the link.

* * *

The _Andromeda_ was all but deserted as Harper slowly made his way along the corridors, pushing the antigravity-trolley before him. He's managed to blind the ships internal sensors to his actions; tricking the AI into thinking he'd fallen asleep in his machine shop after drinking too much beer.

The hanger deck that contained the cruisers Slipfighter's was deserted, the few dock workers who had been tasked with repairing the damage having long since left for the night. Harper pushed the antigravity-trolley under the slipfighter and entered the code that activated the bomb-bay doors. There was a loud click as the weapons bay opened and the universal pylon lowered itself.

Harper pulled the sheet off the Nova Bomb and attached it to the pylon, then hit the control to retract the weapon back into the slipfighter. The doors closed, leaving only a thin line in the frictionless armor. Grabbing a flight-suit from the rack against the wall, Harper got dressed and popped the canopy.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Tyr asked, leaning back in the pilots seat, his eyes closed.

"Tyr!" Harper jumped, "Um, just popping back down to the planet…"

"Don't play games with me, boy." The Nietzschean pulled himself out of the cockpit, towering over the human, "Where are they?"

"Who?"

"Commander McCoy and your child."

"Um, gee, I don't know Tyr: they've been kidnapped…"

"I told you not to play games." Tyr lifted Harper up by his shit collar and looked him straight in the eye, "Although she may not like me, Mary is the closet thing I have in this universe to family, and you will tell me where she is!"

"I don't know: Generntex has her!" Harper protested, "He said that if I don't give him a Nova Bomb he'll hand her and Travis over to the Drago's. Something about them wanting Kodiak DNA."

"Yes, they'd probably hope to use her against me." Tyr let the engineer down, "There is no way the four of us can fit in a slipfighter, so I suggest we find alternate transport."

* * *

_Andromeda's_ main hanger deck was deserted, the low lighting casting long shadows across the deck and the _Eureka Maru_. Tyr poked his head through the airlock, gauss gun at the ready: Beka had talked about installing some new security systems, but he wasn't sure if she'd gotten round to it yet.

The ship looked empty.

"Harper." The Nietzschean whispered, motioning the young human to follow, "Hurry up!"

"Ok! Ok!" Harper pushed the trolley into the cargo ship and closed the door; "Beka is going to kill us for this!"

"I'm sure Captain Valentine will understand." The pilots chair span round, revealing Orion, his eyes narrow, "Going somewhere?"

There was the sound of a forcelance powering up, and Tyr and Harper looked round to see Mark standing behind them, weapon at the ready.

"Guys, this isn't what it looks like…" Harper raised his hands in surrender.

"It looks like you're on your way to trade a Nova Bomb for something, or someone." Orion stood, folding his arms across his chest, "Where are they and who has them?"

"I don't know where they are: I was told to take a Nova Bomb to Winnipeg Drift and await further instructions." Harper sighed, giving up, "A Nightsider we used to work for named Generntex has them: he said he'd hand them over to the Drago-Kazov if I told anyone."

"Then what are we standing around waiting for?" Mark asked, collapsing his forcelance as he made his way to the pilot's chair, "Orion, the doors."

"I'm on it." The Avatar took the operations station; "Sorry to do this to you old friend, but needs must when the devil drives." The _Andromeda's_ inner airlock doors opened with the sound of metal scratching against metal, "We'd better get moving: it won't take her long to work out what's going on and stop us." He smiled, "Old friend and confidant or not, she will report me for doing this."

"Let's just hope she considers your friendship worth a few extra seconds." Tyr commented as the _Maru_ passed through the outer airlock and into free-space, "We still have to get past the picket."

"Yes, well, I have one more trick up my sleeve…" Orion's fingers blurred as they typed commands into the communications system, "This should give us the time we need to get to slipstream." He hit the last key and all the com-links filled with music, almost deafening everyone in the _Maru's_ cockpit.

"Wagner?" Tyr asked.

"Die Walkure." Orion nodded, "It seemed appropriate."

"And for those who don't speak dead languages?" Harper asked.

"The Ride of the Valkyries Mr Harper." Tyr laughed, "Our friend has a sense of humour."

"10-seconds. Mark reported, gripping the controls tightly, "Grab hold of something."

Everyone braced as the cargo ship transited to slipstream.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Without Remorse

_Apologies for the delay: I lost faith in Andromeda after I saw season 3, and it's taken this long to get back into the mood to write it._

**Friends and Family  
****Part three: Without Remorse**

"_Winnipeg Drift welcomes free-spending raiders."  
__-Sign in every landing port on Winnipeg Drift_

"I swear to god, I'm going to kill both of them!" Beka passed back and forth across Dylan's office like a caged tiger, "No one, and I mean **NO ONE** takes the _Maru_ without my permission!"

"Try and relax." Dylan rolled his eyes, "Orion's being questioned as we speak: once we know where the others have gone, we'll go after them and get your ship back. The main question is; why would they take off like that?"

"You think whoever it is who took Mary and Travis made contact with them?"

"I think it's a distinct possibility: why else would they go A.W.O.L and steal your ship?"

"That's not all they took." Andromeda's holographic form appeared on Dylan's desk, "I've just finished running a complete inventory: we're missing a nova bomb."

"**WHAT!**" Dylan sat bolt upright, dropping the flexi he was holding; "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Andromeda nodded, "I've gone over the inventory six time: Nova bomb two is missing from Harper's lab. As there are only three people with access to that room…"

"Harper." Dylan nodded, "Why would her steal a Nova bomb?"

* * *

"Everybody ready?" Orion asked as he strapped a forcelance to each hip, "I've been here a few time: it can be a little rowdy."

"I've been here before." Tyr lifted his Gauss rifle over his shoulder, "Someone should stay behind and keep an eye of the ship: we may need to make a quick get away."

"I guess that will be me." Mark nodded, "I know my way around this system, even about a few slip-points they don't like to advertise."

"Hey, don't worry." Harper did his best to reassure the other man, "We'll get them back."

* * *

The inside of Winnipeg Drift looked like a cross between a shantytown and an arms depot: crudely built sharks lined the sides of the wide corridors, while traders and merchants competed with each other to sell passes by all manor of weapons, most of which were outlawed by almost every planet in the Known Worlds. Tyr, unsurprisingly, nodded to a few acquaintances as the three of them made their way to the rendezvous point indicated in the message Generntex had left for Harper with the port authorities.

"I'll wait outside." Tyr looked round, "Generntex knows me, and will probably be on the look out."

"He'll most likely know what I look like to." Orion nodded, "It's up to you kid."

"Yippy." Harper moaned, then reminded himself what was at stake, "Anything happens, you guys come in guns blazing: I want Generntex to pay for this."

The bar was dark and full of smoke that burned Harper's throat and made his eyes water. He stood at the counter just long enough to be served, then headed for the nearest unoccupied booth.

"Well Mr Harper, I am impressed." Generntex slid onto the seat next to the young human, "I honestly didn't think you'd show…"

"Where are they? I want to see them."

"There has been, a complication: the Drago-Kazov grew impatient, so they took delivery less than an hour ago. I can still offer you a hansom price for the Nova Bomb…"

Harper's gun was drawn in the blink of an eye, and the seat cushion either side of Generntex erupted, followed closely by a third shot that landed square between his legs, burning his trousers.

"That was close!" The Nightsider protested, "I get your point!"

"What point?" Harper asked, "I missed."

"Rest assured, I will not." Tyr placed a heavy hand of Generntex's shoulder; "We will continue this discussion back on the _Maru_."

"And if I do not wish to leave?" Generntex asked.

Orion responded my picking up a barstool and silently twisting it into a bow.

* * *

"Ok rat-face, I'm going to make this very simply." Harper stood in front of Generntex, who was chained to the bulkhead as the Maru drifted in space a short distance from the drift, "You tell me what I want to know, without hesitation or any attempt to lie, or I start to cut-off delicate parts of your anatomy." To emphasize his point, he activated his nano-welder, "And then, after I'm done, I'll give you to Tyr to play with, and I know you've read his rather impressive résumé. And if there's anything let, I'll give you to Orion to turn into modern art."

"Now Mr Harper, I under stand that you're a little upset right now…" Generntex protested.

"A little upset?" Harper pressed the nano-welder against the bulkhead just millimetres from the Nightsiders ear, sending sparks flying, "I am **_so_** far beyond upset right now. You've got me in an apocalyptic sort of mood, and when you finally die, you can tell all the angels in heaven that you never saw evil so singularly personified as you did in the eyes of the man who killed you. I'm going to cause you so much pain, you'll think it's a occupation!"

"Mr Harper!"

"No more talk."

* * *

"Well?" Tyr asked when Harper finally returned to the cockpit.

"Generntex may not be good for anything other than begging for his life now, but he talked." Harper whipped his hands and grabbed a bottle of water, "The Drago-Kazov have Mary and Travis, but they're still on Winnipeg Drift: the transport sent to collect them isn't due for a few hours."

"You sure he's telling the truth?" Mark asked.

"I grew up on Earth, I've been tortured by professionals, and infested with Magog eggs: I know a lot about inflicting pain." Harper had a rather dark look in his eye, "I don't like what I had to do, but there is no power in this universe that can stop me getting Mary and Travis back. I'll take on the entire Drago-Kazov Empire on my own if I have to."

"I assure that that will not be necessary." Orion sat cleaning his Forcelance, "We're all in this, to the end."

"Agreed." Tyr nodded.

"Agreed." Mark drew his own Forcelance and checked its charge.

"Good." Harper nodded, "Let's go get them back."

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
